


Christmas

by EmilliaGryphon



Series: Guardians of The Galaxy Holiday Extravaganza [4]
Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), MCU, Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, gotg
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Carols, Cookies, Gen, Holidays, Team Bonding, Team as Family, The Guardians are nice to Rocket, Traditions, xmas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-23
Updated: 2019-12-23
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:34:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,235
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21923740
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmilliaGryphon/pseuds/EmilliaGryphon
Summary: A curmudgeonly raccoon is shown the true meaning of Christmas.
Relationships: Mantis/Nebula, Peter Quill/Gamora, Rocket Raccoon & Groot, Rocket Raccoon & Guardians of the Galaxy Team, Starmora - Relationship, grocket
Series: Guardians of The Galaxy Holiday Extravaganza [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1415389
Comments: 2
Kudos: 16





	Christmas

“If such a man attempted to break into my home I would HOPE his rear end got burned by a thousand flames! How dare he trespass so! And watch my children as they slept? Who is this fien?” 

Rocket snickered, watching Peter blink in shock at Drax’s proclamation. There was no way the tattooed man was going to let this one slide. The Benatar was decked out with all the holiday workings Star Lord prescribed: tinsel, garlands, a plenota tree, everything. 

“He’s not a fein, he’s a jolly friendly dude!” Quill defended. “He brings gifts to children who have been good all year!” 

“Where do we find this man? I must inquire about his requirements for what constitutes naughty and nice. I believe I have been the nicest person on this team,” Drax looked sidelong at Gamora, who only raised a brow. “.....but I do suppose disemboweling someone might count as...how did you say it? Naughty?” 

“You’re all losers,” Rocket examined a shining glass ball ornament in his paw. “This holiday is the lamest one yet. Why would you celebrate a guy and gal who didn’t think ahead to book a room at a hotel. What’s a baby in a dumpster got to do with the man who makes the presents?”

“A manger,” Quill corrected. 

“Tsch, whatever. Point is this terran holiday is dumb. You might have celebrated it as a kid but not all of us got the warm coco, carols, feasts and family yadda yadda bullshit growin’ up.” 

“I am Groot!” Groot exclaimed. 

“Yeah well that’s an even weirder celebration,” the raccoonoid chucked shaking his head. He slid down from the co-pilot seat and into the main hall of the ship. Thanks to the constant “fire place,” Quill had insisted he make the ship was overheating on a constant basis requiring even more cooling fluid to be pumped through the pipes. _Christmas, what a joke. Holly and candles and shit. Who has time for that?_ He certainly didn’t. Not while growing up anyway, if being created by mad scientists could count as growing up. Gamora talked about celebrations on her old planet, before Thanos. Qraren a Zen Wobarian holiday, Drax’s people gathered in festivities around the winter solstice, even Groot has some strange traditions on his old homeworld of Planet X. Nebula never spoke of any holidays she’d had growing up but she seemed eager to participate in this Christmas thing. And by eager Rocket noted that that meant she didn’t outright threaten to burn down the tree or stuff any stockings with knives. Rocket sighed, scurrying down the halls. He wanted to believe what Quill said, deep down inside but every time he thought about those “true meaning of Christmas,” things as the humie put it, he found he didn’t know what it could possibly mean. What true meaning? There wasn’t much meaning in anything he’d known during his time on Halfworld. No meaning at all. That was the worst part about it. 

He shook his head, holding the cooling jet in his hands and got to work. 

“Have yourself a merry little Christmas, let your heart be light.”

The raccoonoid looked up from the panel on which he worked. Blinking in the dark, someone had turned off the lights. 

“Next year all our troubles will be out of sight, have yourself a merry little Christmas.”

The soft sound of jingling bells echoed off the dark interior of the ship. 

A warm yellow glow illuminated the end of the hall. He sniffed, _spicy cinnamon and...what were those trees, pines?_ Rocket dropped his tools and made his way towards the inciting light; the smells getting stronger as he approached. 

“Quill? Gamora?” 

The common area was empty apart for hundreds of little Groot spores, golden and casting ethereal light. 

“Groot, Drax?” 

The shadows across the room danced, gentle light bathing him as he tip-toed through the room. The ornaments on the plenota tree shimmered. 

“Make the yuletide gay, next year all our troubles will be miles away,” the songs melody was sweet, peaceful. 

“Guys seriously what are you?”

“Merry Christmas!!!”

Lights of green and red flooded the room, Nebula, Mantis, Groot, Gamora, Drax and Quill leapt up from hiding places

Rocket stepped sideways, taken aback. 

Quill’s Santa hat toppling from his head. Drax held a tray of cookies piled high and Groot had his armful of decorative wrapped presents. Mantis and Nebula head held bottles of whatever festive beverage Quill told them to purchase. 

“What is all this?!” He managed, looking between each of them. Nebula shoved a drink into his hand and Quill presented him with some wrapped gift in the suspicious form of a gun. 

“This is Christmas man! have a cookie!”

They ate and drank in exuberance, while Quill blasted song after song. Rocket indeed got a gun from Quill, a very large bushel of pink flowers from Groot and several other gifts from the rest of the team. 

“W...why’re you doing all this?”

He asked later as they sat amid the wrapping paper and empty dishes, cups and bottles and trays of food thrown about. They ignored the mess for the time being, sitting in front of the glowing flames of the impromptu fireplace. The song Quill had played to lure him towards the common room now played again, 

"Once again as in olden days, happy golden days of yore. Faithful friends who are dear to us, will be near to us once more."

“Well, we figured you never got the chance to have any celebrations when you were…well, .before we met,” Quill choose his words carefully. The raccoonoid nodded, looking over all of them. Nebula and Mantis curled up together, the empath sitting on the cyborg lady’s lap. Quill had his arm around Gamora who bopped her head along to _Deck the Halls with Boughs of Holly_ and even Drax seemed subdued at the moment, looking into the fire with a sad smile on his face. 

“Well ...you didn’t need to do that,” he managed lowly.

“Yeah well we wanted to,” Quill countered with a sardonic smile. He took a drink of spiked coco and moved some presents out of the way, leaning back and enjoying the flicker of the flames.

The song lulled on, quiet and soothing. 

"Someday soon we all will be together, if the fates allow, until then we'll have to muddle through somehow. So have yourself a merry little Christmas now."

They sat and watched the fire as the ship cruised through the vast galaxy. All but Rocket, who instead curled inward in Groot’s lap as if the beauty and serenity of the fire was no match for the shadows dancing across the cracks of the flora’s bark. Belly warm with food and drink, surrounded by these people _...his...friends, his family._ _Safe. Warm. Loved, and what was more,_ he thought, small claws clinging to Groot’s chest, _he loved them_. Drax mumbled some joke, Nebula and Gamora responding in shared laughter but Rocket only smiled content, listening to them all. Watching the ever moving reflection of the fire dance across Groot’s bark. He wasn’t no kid in no barn he was just a strange little raccoonoid who’d found a home. 

Awesome Holiday Mix: Xmas 

Joy to the World - Bing Crosby 

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - Judy Garland

Run Run Reindeer - The Beach Boys 

Santa Claus is Coming to Town - Lonestar 

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> I am not a religious person, (I actually celebrate the Winter Solstice- Yule, but my family celebrates Christmas. 
> 
> Apologies if the "what's a baby in a dumpster," line offended anyone. Not my intention. 
> 
> If anyone celebrates Hanukkah, Kwanza, or any other holiday traditions that they would like to see the Guardians try for themselves please let me know! I want to be as inclusive as possible and I realize these holidays thus far come from a very white very Eurocentric tradition. I also want to stay in my lane and not take on holidays that I cannot accurately write about. If you want to see the Guardians celebrate Ramadan, or Passover, or any holiday you celebrate please send me a message @trashpandaorigins on Tumblr! I am happy to do the research and write but want to makesure people who actually participate in the holiday are involved!
> 
> For more of the Guardians celebrating the holiday season check out the "12 Days of Starmora" challenge I did last year! All the one shots revolve around Peter and Gamora and the gang celebrating different aspects of the season! https://archiveofourown.org/series/888033


End file.
